User blog:DMSwordsmaster/Stick Ranger 2 First Impressions
This will just be a rambling thing detailing my thoughts on Stick Ranger 2 now that I've played it. Keep in mind, these are first impressions, and it isn't a review of any sort. So, first off, the game is a massive leap in graphics from Stick Ranger 1. We've got varied locations, foliage, and caves. Even a little waterfall in one place. The character graphics are still the same, but hey, baby steps. I also rather like the screen progression; it just isn't "Randomly generated terrain with enemies". In fact, I'd say it's the opposite; the terrain is fixed, but the enemies are (generally) randomly spawned. Enemies also don't stay dead, respawning for a certain period. (I think if you kill all the enemies at once they stop spawning but I'm not certain) I also like the "Choose your own magic attack" thing the game has. Even if I only ever got the bash (Fat Kusamochi is a dick), it's a creative idea. It also seems to be a "fluid character" setup in that you don't have to stick religiously to one class; it seems you can change your class at will, which, if that's the case, is REALLY cool. Enemy variety isn't great so far, but hey, alpha. It's basically just the Monster Box enemies with palette swaps and actual attacks. I also REALLY like this new level structure; the world is much more connected than that of Stick Ranger 1's so far. You can actually travel backwards in screens (which I didn't know at first), which makes the world seem a tad more connected than SR1's. It isn't just a map screen (Though I wouldn't be miffed if things did turn out more similar to SR in the end). Now, onto my big gripes. Firstly, where are the onigiri? The onigiri in the first game was one of the most important item drops you could get in most situations! Getting an onigiri was a huge life buff to a party member, enough to keep them in a fight! So why are they gone from this game?? To heal (and I didn't know this my first attempt at the game), you have to backtrack to the village in order to heal! And you can't just rest at an inn, either; you have to sit and wait! Why not just have inns?? I mean, this can be countered with the argument "It's an alpha, demmes", but still. These features were in the last game, why not this one? Gold has literally zero point so far. A minor problem, but it's still weird. Enemy drops are pathetically stingy. Green Kusas apparently have a 10% chance to drop a Bash. I murdered about fifty of them once I got Party Member 2 and none of them dropped one. Also couldn't get a second Power Glove it's so bad for PM2. Also, I never got a Light Glove either. Level scaling is also really weird. Instead of the three stats that SR1 had, this game goes for a more Monster Box-esque approach. I'm not too sure how I feel about that so far. Mostly because level ups barely seem to have an effect on my character's performance, unless I invest solely in HP or Dodge. And the biggest issue so far; no saving. But again, Alpha, so I can't exactly complain too hard about this. So that was my first impressions/rambling on SR 2. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this one evolves. It's already got a good starting point, though it has a few weird design choices as well. We'll see how it goes. I'm really glad we have this, though. Category:Blog posts